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Centauri
The Centauri are a humanoid species and were the first alien species to make open contact with the human race, although there have been cases of then-unknown contacts with other alien races. Among the then-unknown human contacts with alien species were the Vorlons, who appeared to humans as angels throughout Earth's history, and the Vree, who abducted humans for scientific study in the 20th Century. Their homeworld is Centauri Prime, a small Earth-like planet consisting of two large continents and several smaller islands divided by large oceans of water. Biology The Centauri are humanoid in appearance, similar enough to humans that the species can easily pass for one another under casual inspection. However, in terms of internal structure there are several important differences between the two species. Centauri teeth, for instance, are somewhat pointed. Unlike Humans, the Centauri have no major arteries in their wrists. In terms of physical strength and endurance, and intellectual ability, the Centauri are equal to humans. Centauri males typically wear their hair in Peacock-tail shaped fans. The social standing of the male determines the length and style of the hair. Females typically shave their heads except for a knot of hair in the back. Their dress and customs reflect their imperialistic culture, with militaristic clothing reminiscent of the 18th Century for the men, gowns for the women whose design appears to be of similar general vintage, and a generally courtly manner one would expect to find in Victorian England or Imperial France. Reproductive Biology The sexual organs of the Centauri are quite different from those of humans, and they are in a different location than the human sex organs. Male Centauri have six tentacle-like genital organs that extend out from the sides of the body and "fold" in over the solar plexus when not in use. The males can stretch the tentacles out to several feet. These tentacles are somewhat prehensile, to the extent that they can be used to cheat in card games. Females have six narrow receptive orifices, three on either side of the base of the spine, just above the hips. During sexual intercourse the male places the tentacles in the female orifices individually. Only one tentacle is necessary to inseminate, however. Cardio-vascular system The cardio-vascular system of Centauri has two hearts instead of the single heart that humans have. The right heart is a solid mass of muscle which provides most of the force behind the body's blood circulation. The left heart is much more complex - this heart is made up of an intricate system of thousands of veins that help cleanse the blood in a manner similar to the human kidneys. As a result, a heart attack in the left heart is a very serious matter because the left heart is very difficult to repair. Their network of blood vessels is also somewhat different than in humans, as they do not have major blood vessels in their wrists. ESP and telepathy The Centauri have extra-sensory perception to varying degrees, generally manifesting as precognitive abilities. Most Centauri have limited perceptions, enjoying only rare fleeting glimpses of the future. However, some Centauri will experience vivid prophetic dreams telling them of the time and the circumstances of their deaths. A rare few Centauri, exclusively female, have very strong prophetic abilities. These females are often given a special status in Centauri society that is much higher than would normally be given to a female. Some Centauri have telepathic ability. Like humans, the degree of telepathic ability varies with the individual. The Centauri Emperor Turhan always had four female telepaths in his court, who had been trained since birth to be continuously mind-linked. When he traveled, two went with him and two remained at the royal palace, allowing rapid communication between the Emperor and Centauri Prime. The widow of Emperor Turhan, Lady Morella, is said to have had extensive telepathic abilities, to the point where she was considered a great prophet. She also acts as if she speaks for both herself and her late husband. Technology Centauri technology seems to be more advanced than that of Earths' utilizing Artificial Gravity with an impressive arsenal of weapons. In the past, the Centauri have supplied weapons designs to some of the members of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, and many of their weapons and ships fell into hands of the Narn Regime, especially after the Second Centauri Occupation of Narn.And All My Dreams, Torn Asunder Government The government of the Centauri Republic which is ruled by an Emperor and an assembly of Ministers and heads of various Houses that form the Centaurum. History During their early history, the Centauri warred with and exterminated another sentient species, called the Xon, on their homeworld. They once controlled a vast galactic empire. The empire went into decline over a century before Babylon 5 was built, but they remain a major power. One of their most infamous conquests was the Narn homeworld. This invasion spawned a great hatred between Narns and Centauri, that continued long after the Narns drove the Centauri off their world. The Centauri were the first open alien contact made by Earth. They claimed at first that Earth was a lost Centauri colony, because of their external similarity to humans, but this was disproven when human scientists analyzed Centauri DNA. The false claim was then blamed on a clerical error that had mislabelled the planet. The Centauri collaborated with the Dilgar during the Dilgar Invasion. They advised Earthforce to give the Minbari a wide berth, but this fell on deaf ears. During the Earth-Minbari War, they refused to supply Earthforce with weapons, fearing Minbari ire. The Narns supplied the humans with weapons of Centauri make, so that the Minbari would blame the Centauri if those weapons fell into their hands. A secret attempt at diplomatically resolving the war, set up with the aid of the Narns, was stealth-attacked by a Centauri ship, as the Centauri believed it to be a meeting for the purpose of human-Narn arms trading. Humans and Minbari blamed each other for the attack, and so the meeting was a failure. Once Babylon 5 was established, the Centauri Republic sent Ambassador Londo Mollari as their representative. Ambassador Mollari's alliance with the Shadows through their human agent Morden proved very profitable to the Centauri Republic at first, as it allowed them to reconquer the Narns and begin expanding their empire once more, into the space of other races. However, the Shadow alliance eventually led to disaster. Centauri Prime was forced to play host to Shadow ships during the close of the Shadow War, attracting the genocidal attention of the Vorlons. Ambassador Mollari's actions in removing the Shadow ships from his world made Centauri Prime the target of vengeance from the Shadows' dark servants, the Drakh, after the Shadows themselves left the galaxy and their homeworld Z'ha'dum was destroyed. Culture Food and Drink * Brivari: Alcoholic beverage. * Jala: Beverage, usually served hot. * Spoo: Meat dish, preferably aged. * Treel: Meat dish from a fish-like creature.TKO References Category:Races